Artificial lift equipment such as electric submersible pumps (ESPs) may be deployed for any of a variety of pumping purposes. For example, where a substance does not readily flow responsive to existing natural forces, an ESP may be implemented to artificially lift the substance. To receive power, an ESP is connected to a cable or cables. In some instances, the length of such a cable or cables may be of the order of several kilometers. A cable may also include one or more motor lead extensions (MLEs) spliced onto the cable. For example, where the cable includes three conductor cores for powering a motor, a MLE may be spliced onto each of the conductor cores. Length of a MLE may be, for example, on the order of a few meters to ten meters or more.
Some examples of available ESP cables include those rated at 3 kV, 4 kV or 5 kV. As to configurations, ESP cables may utilize a round cable configuration, a flat cable configuration or other cable configuration. For example, a round cable may be used where sufficient space exists in a wellbore and a flat cable may be used where clearance issues exist or to prevent clearance issues in a wellbore.
A power cable may provide for delivery of power and transmission of data. For example, data may be communicated between one end of a 3-phase electrical power cable (e.g., where an electrical motor is installed downhole) and another end of the 3-phase electrical power cable (e.g., where an electrical power source is located uphole). In such an example, data generated by downhole equipment (e.g., a sensor gauge, etc.) may be transmitted via the 3-phase electrical power cable to uphole data handling equipment. As an example, a 3-phase electrical power cable may also deliver power to downhole equipment.
Where a 3-phase electrical power cable provides for delivery of power, optionally to more than one piece of equipment, and provides for transmission of data, a ground fault of one or more of the power cable conductors can interrupt delivery of power, transmission of data, or both delivery of power and transmission of data. Various technologies, techniques, etc., described herein pertain to delivery of power, transmission of data, etc.